The 1850 Yamsé Ghoon Riots refer to violent clashes which erupted in

Port Louis Port Louis (french: Port-Louis; mfe, label= Mauritian Creole, Polwi or , ) is the capital city of Mauritius. It is mainly located in the Port Louis District, with a small western part in the Black River District. Port Louis is the country's ec ...

, the capital of

British Mauritius Mauritius was a Crown colony off the Southeast coast of Africa. Formerly part of the French colonial empire, British rule in Mauritius was established de facto with the Invasion of Isle de France in November 1810, and de jure by the subsequent T ...

in November 1850.

Clash of ethnic groups

Muslims of Indian ancestry were commemorating the

Mourning of Muharram The Mourning of Muharram (also known as Azadari, Remembrance of Muharram or Muharram Observances) is a set of commemoration rituals observed primarily by Shia people. The commemoration falls in Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar. ...

in the form of an annual procession in the suburb of Port Louis which was known as ''Camp Des Malabars'' (or Plaine Verte nowadays). The event was also known as ''Yamsé'' or ''Ghoon''. However they were attacked by former slaves of Creole origins, also known as ex-apprentices. The Muslims were forced to abandon their ''Ghoon'' structures or

Ta'zieh Ta'zieh ( ar, تعزية; fa, تعزیه; ur, ) means comfort, condolence, or expression of grief. It comes from roots ''aza'' (عزو and عزى) which means mourning. Depending on the region, time, occasion, religion, etc. the word can sig ...

as they were chased around the streets in broad daylight by the Creole assailants.

Aftermath of riots

Several fatalities were reported. However the inaction of the Chief of Police Charles Anderson was criticised.

References

Murder in Mauritius Ethnic riots Riots and civil disorder in Mauritius Anti-Indian racism in Africa 1850 murders in Africa 19th-century murders in Mauritius Indian diaspora in Mauritius {{Mauritius-stub